Glenbard W. bounces back to beat Wheaton North

In a sense, Tuesday afternoon's Wheaton North versus Glenbard West baseball game was a fight.

And in the top of the sixth inning, the host Hilltoppers took the baseball equivalent of a punch to the jaw when their 2-0 lead, thanks to the Falcons' 5 runs on 6 hits, evaporated.

Glenbard West didn't stay on the canvas long and got up and fought back, scoring 6 runs on 5 hits in their half of that inning and held on to win 8-6 to go 3-0 on the season.

“It feels great,” said senior Myles Purdom of the start. “The guys work real hard in practice. There's a lot of baseball to be played, but it feels good.”

Purdom was 2-for-4 on the day with a double and a two-run single to right in the pivotal sixth.

Hilltoppers coach Brian Wojtun said leadership is the biggest key for a team and how it will respond in a game.

“(The comeback) says a lot about our team, and it starts at the top with the leaders,” Wojtun said of team captains Purdom, Ryan Kavanaugh and Tyler Curtis. “We stressed that we don't play to the score or to the opponent. We play baseball and we keep playing it hard.”

Glenbard West enjoyed a 2-0 advantage through five innings thanks to Danny Kiel's two-out single to left that plated Kavanaugh, followed in the third by Purdom's doubling to left center and later scoring on a wild pitch.

Starting Hilltoppers pitcher Curtis had a no-hitter through four innings and a 1-hitter through the fifth.

“Tyler was spot on for five innings. He was virtually unhittable against a great team,” Wojtun said.

Wheaton North's offense came alive, however, the following inning. Jake Schieber's RBI groundout brought in the first run, followed by RBI doubles from John Peltz and Ed Norris with RBI basehits coming from Lake Bacher and River Williams.

It was opening day for the Falcons, and coach Dan Schoessling said improvement is needed as the Falcons prepare for their 4:15 p.m. home opener Thursday against Benet.

“We have to be better in every phase of the game. We didn't do much except for that one inning. Facing their pitcher (Curtis) had something to do with it,” he said. “We have to have a sense of urgency no matter what number game it is.”

Kavanaugh put the finishing touches on a 3-for-4 day in the sixth with a 2-run double. Mark Terwilliger had an RBI double that inning as well.

Teammate Grant Greeno finished the afternoon 2-for-3.

The Falcons didn't go away easily as Ryan Kent led off the seventh by depositing a 3-2 pitch over the left-field fence to make it 8-6.